1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a charge connector used for charging a battery mounted on a vehicle such as an electric vehicle and a hybrid electric vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a charge connector is used for charging a battery mounted on a vehicle such as an electric vehicle (EV) and a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-182471). An example of such a charge connector will be described below with reference to FIG. 1.
A conventional charge connector 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes a connector case 110 formed of a pair of case split members 110A, 110B to be coupled together, a connector body 120 housed in the connector case 110 and including a plurality of charge terminals (not shown in FIG. 1) connected with electric wires W and housed in a connector housing 121, and a lock mechanism 130 capable of preventing a mating connector (not shown in FIG. 1) and the connector body 120 fitted together from separating from each other.
The connector case 110 includes a housing holding portion 111 for housing the connector housing 121 of the connector body 120, an electric wire housing portion 112 for housing the electric wires W connected to the charge terminals (not shown in FIG. 1) in the connector body 120, and a lock housing portion 113 for housing the lock mechanism 130 above the housing holding portion 111 and the electric wire housing portion 112.
The housing holding portion 111 is provided with positioning recesses 114. The positioning recesses 114 include an axial direction regulation groove 114A formed between two axial direction regulation ribs 115A, 115B elongated along the opening at the front end of the housing holding portion 111, and include rotation direction regulation holes 114B formed on the axial direction regulation rib 115A.
Part of the electric wire housing portion 112 serves as a handle that an operator holds. The electric wires W connected to the charge terminals (not shown in FIG. 1) in the connector body 120 are drawn outward from the housing holding portion 111 through the electric wire housing portion 112.
The connector body 120 includes the plural charge terminals (not shown in FIG. 1) connected to mating terminals of the mating connector (not shown in FIG. 1) and the connector housing 121 in which a plurality of terminal housing portions 121A housing the respective charge terminals are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the connector housing 121.
The connector housing 121 is provided with positioning projections 122 that engage with the positioning recesses 114. The positioning projections 122 include two elongated fit ribs 122A, 122B placed in front of the axial direction regulation rib 115A and in the axial direction regulation groove 114A, respectively, and rotation direction regulation projections 123 formed between the two elongated fit ribs 122A, 122B to engage with the rotation direction regulation holes 114B.
At the time of assembling the charge connector 100 described above, the connector body 120 is first inserted into one case split member 110A in a manner such that the positioning portions 122 engage with the positioning recesses 114 of the one case split member 110A so that the connector housing 121 is located at a temporarily housed position. This regulates a movement in an axial direction and a rotation in a rotation direction of the connector housing 121 in the one case split member 110A.
Next, while the positioning recesses 114 of the other case split member 110B engage with the positioning projections 122, the edge of the one case split member 110A is brought into contact with the edge of the other case split member 110B.
Thereafter, the respective case split members 110A, 110B are fixed with, for example, bolts and nuts so as to complete the assembly of the charge connector 100 in the state where the movement of the connector housing 121 (the movement in the axial direction and the rotation in the rotation direction) in the connector case 110 is regulated.
However, the conventional charge connector 100 described above has a problem that the engagement between the rotation direction regulation holes 114B and the rotation direction regulation projections 123 is released because the connector housing 121 located at the temporarily housed position in the one case split member 110A rises up from the one case split member 110A due to external force such as tensile force of the electric wires W. As a result, the operator is required to hold and keep the connector housing 121 at the temporarily housed position in the one case split member 110A to assemble the charge connector 100, which complicates the operation of assembling the charge connector 100.